furnish
UK /ˈfɜːnɪʃ/ · US /ˈfɝnɪʃ/ noun, verb, proper noun
Forms furnishes furnishing furnished
- noun Material used to create an engineered product.
- verb (transitive) To provide a place with furniture, or other equipment.
- verb (transitive, figuratively) To supply or give (something).
- verb (transitive, figuratively) To supply (somebody) with something. “The street outside my window furnishes meager entertainment.”
- proper noun A surname.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English furnysshen, from Old French furniss-, stem of certain parts of furnir, fornir (Modern French fournir), from Germanic, from Frankish *frumjan (“to complete, execute”), from Proto-Germanic *frumjaną (“to further, promote”), from Proto-Indo-European *promo- (“front, forward”).
Cognate with Old High German frumjan (“to perform, provide”), Old High German fruma (“utility, gain”), Old English fremu (“profit, advantage”), Old English fremian (“to promote, perform”). More at frame, frim.
English surname, variant of Furness. Also a variant of Furneaux, Furnace.
Webster’s 1913
- verb To supply with anything necessary, useful, or appropriate; to provide; to equip; to fit out, or fit up; to adorn; as, to furnish a family with provisions; to furnish one with arms for defense; to furnish a Cable; to furnish the mind with ideas; to furnish one with knowledge or principles; to furnish an expedition or enterprise, a room or a house.
- verb To offer for use; to provide (something); to give (something); to afford; as, to furnish food to the hungry: to furnish arms for defense.
- noun That which is furnished as a specimen; a sample; a supply.
Etymology [OF. furnir, fornir, to furnish, finish, F. fournir; akin to Pr. formir, furmir, fromir, to accomplish, satisfy, fr. OHG. frumjan to further, execute, do, akin to E. frame. See Frame, v. t., and - ish.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “furnish”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details